F1 Singapore: Swedish House Mafia make triumphant return with first reunion show in Asia

REVIEW / CONCERT

SINGAPORE – The dons of the dance music world, Swedish House Mafia, may have been on a break for five years before re-entering the spotlight in 2018, but they proved that their brand of electronic dance music (EDM) continues to endure with their much-anticipated return at the Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2019.

The superstar dance music trio – made up of DJ-producers Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello – took to the stage at 10.20pm, forming instantly recognisable silhouettes. Each had their own DJ console and drum pad on a raised platform, from which they had the audience eating out of their hands for the next 90 minutes.

The show in Singapore was extra special, being both the first show in Asia since their reunion – after a cancelled appearance at Ultra Music Korea festival in June this year – as well as the last stop on the Save The World Reunion Tour, which saw a limited run in several European countries and Mexico.

For their first Asian show, the boys went big with smash hits like Greyhound, Dream Bigger and Calling (Lose My Mind), drawing from their vast catalogue as a trio, their solo projects, as well as the Axwell and Ingrosso duo project.

Chants of the rallying call of “we come, we rave, we love” rang out through the open field which typically sees crowds of 40,000 to 60,000 people.

They made sure to pepper their set with instant singalong tracks like Don’t You Worry Child and One, but it almost didn’t matter because every song was a hit – including gig closer Save The World.

The group also took full advantage of the open-air location with a slick, highly-produced stage show that focused on sky-spanning lights, lasers and spectacular pyrotechnics that synced perfectly with the thumping beats.

The giant screens on the sides of the stage focused on the individual members occasionally, but it was very much a show of solidarity where no one person was the star.

The receptive crowd that seemed to keep growing with every song, lapped up the classics and the remixes, prompting the chattiest of the three, Axwell, to very quickly declare the Singapore Grand Prix “the most beautiful crowd in Asia”.